Passive Phyto-Remediation of Heavy Metals by Biosorption of Sargassum cinereum

Abstract

The industrial effluents with a high amount of pollutant, including heavy metals have adverse effects on the aquatic environment. Different costly conventional treatment technologies are applying for removal of heavy metals from the marine environment. The conventional treatment technologies produce a huge load of toxic chemical sludge on the environment. There is a need of detoxification of environment applying any biological method. So, remediation of heavy metals by marine macro algae is a novel eco-friendly alternative approach. The brown seaweed Sargassum cinereum were used as bio-absorber for heavy metals. To test the biosorption capacity of this brown seaweed, the artificial set up of heavy metal polluted environment were made within the beakers by keeping various concentration of heavy metal solution, and within that concentrated solution, Sargassum cinereum were emerged as per required amount. An optimized and validated Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) has been applied to analyse elements, including, trace metals (Fe, Pb, Cr, As and Ag). The brown seaweed Sargassum cinereum used as bio-absorber for heavy metals. The artificial set up of heavy metal polluted environment were made within beaker by keeping various concentration of heavy metal solution, then Sargassum cinereum were used as per required amount. The iron concentration was 3520.35ppb in normal fresh Sargassum cinereum but Sargassum cinereum which was treated with various concentration of iron solution, showed very high concentration of iron. After 48 hours of treatment with 0.25mM iron solution Sargassum cinereum absorbed 6679.70ppb iron from the solution and treated with high concentration of iron solution such as 4mM absorbed maximum iron such as 21781.3089ppb. Similarly, Sargassum cinereum also have capacity of bio-sorption of Pb, Hg. The metal bio-absorption of Sargassum cinereum remarked for its metal storage capacity. It has been concluded that Sargassum cinereum absorb high amount of Fe, Pb and Hg from solution, so Sargassum cinereum may be use for heavy metal bio-absorption as phyco-cleaner of heavy metals from heavy metal polluted environment. In future, this brown seaweed may be used for cleaning of polluted environment cost effectively